Is there a cure for a missing child?

South of the border

First Lady Laura recalled the story of Alvarado 2-year-old Kevin Brown while speaking in Austin on the need for the new Texas regional office of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“This little boy endured three days of severe storms and Texas heat topping 100 degrees,” Bush said. “But because of determined efforts of more than 20 agencies, including U.S. marshals, local law enforcement, the Salvation Army, a nearby church and the national center, Kevin’s life was saved.”She went on to say the resources provided by Austin’s regional National Center for Missing and Exploited Children office will allow it “to coordinate more successful rescues and protect other vulnerable children like Kevin.”

There are currently 17 children under the age of two currently listed as missing at the NCMEC. While the story of Kevin Brown and his safe recovery is heartwarming, the reality is he was believed to have wandered from his home. Meanwhile, Danielle Jimenez was violently abducted from her home in Texas and remains missing. Bryan Dossantos-Gomes a 5-month-old also remains missing after being abducted from his mother in Florida.

There are no publicly available statistics on how many missing children in the U.S., listed at the NCMEC, are believed to be headed to Mexico. There are 87 children listed as missing in Mexico some of whom are thought to be headed to the U.S. according to the information posted.

NCMEC plays a leading role in international child abductions, the largest of which involve Mexico. The 1,254 mile Mexican Border poses a huge “flight” problem for law enforcement in the rescue of children and the apprehension of criminals. Texas is not only the gateway to Mexico, but also to Central and South America.